In the past few months, there has been much rending of cloths and gnashing of teeth over the decline in classroom book reading (see here, here,
Last month, pundits debated the validity of Mississippi’s remarkable gains in student achievement.
This week, we’re joined by Liz Cohen, vice president of policy at 50CAN, to discuss her book, The Fu
Economist Joel Mokyr, who won the Nobel Prize in 2025, asks why some societies generate sustained economic growth while others, with seemingly similar resources and institutions, do not. At a time of great uncertainty about our social and economic progress, his question feels urgent.
Editor’s note: This was first published on the author's Substack, Minding the Gap.
In New York City schools, the recent ban on smartphones has brought attention to some students' inability to read analog clocks. Meanwhile, the phrase “knowing what time it is” has circulated on the right as a kind of political shibboleth meant to distinguish self-described post-liberals from more traditional conservatives. Considered together, the figurative and literal “time” problems feed each other and signal a worrisome trend in America.
Speaking on The Education Exchange podcast recently, 50CAN president Derrell Bradford argued that
If you’re a policymaker, district leader, or reporter trying to follow education research, it can feel like drinking from multiple fire hoses at once. One week brings a bold new claim about dual enrollment. Next week, there’s a re-analysis of charter school impacts or a skeptical take on short-term workforce credentials.
The vast majority of teachers in K–12 public schools are female, including over 85 percent of those in the elementary grades.
Public schools in the United States have struggled to boost student achievement in math and reading following the Covid-19 pandemic.
This week, we’re marking a major milestone—Episode 1,000 of The Education Gadfly
Another tall education-reform tree fell the other day when Lou Gerstner passed away. The super-chief of IBM and overall business savant also spearheaded a memorable era when corporate tycoons, governors, leading educators—and U.S. presidents—joined together to get stuff done in the K–12 realm.
Fordham's 2025 Annual Report looks back on a year of research, commentary, Ohio policy work, and charter school authorizing, with a focus on rebooting the American Dream for the next generation.
2025 will be remembered for a lot of bad news outside of education, but inside our little sandbox of ed-reform, there’s plenty to be grateful for—and more light than darkness
For my first four years in the classroom, I taught English as a second language to Somali refugees and Latin American immigrants in a small city in Wisconsin.
In the 1990s, Sweden overhauled its public education system. Previously run almost entirely by local governments, public schools could now be operated either by districts or by private providers—similar to U.S. charter schools.
This week, Mike Petrilli looks back at the highs and lows of educa
Our society is failing its most important task: fostering human flourishing. And schools aren’t helping. Far too many students graduate unprepared to think critically, navigate community, or develop the resilience needed to face life’s challenges.
Like the other elections that took place last month, the one that decided who would serve on the Albuquerque Public Schools Board was characterized by record turnout.
Students in short-term workforce education programs will soon get some help covering tuition costs. The recently-passed One Big Beautiful Bill Act expands Pell Grants to workforce programs as short as eight weeks or 150 clock hours in duration.
Rod Paige passed away this week. A former United States Secretary of Education, he was also a visionary, a leader, a passionate and compassionate educator, and so much more. We miss you, Rod. We will continue to miss you. We thank you for your service—to us and to the children and educators of America—and for your friendship. May you rest in peace.
This week, we’re joined by Matt Barnum, Chalkbeat’s Ideas editor, to unpack whether college enro
The Trump administration recently proposed shifting Department of Education programs to other agencies, mostly the Labor Department. A few of the ideas makes sense. But overall, the proposal is nuts—and betrays conservative values, says a longtime GOP staffer.
Editor’s note: To read more about this topic from Mike Goldstein and Sean Geraghty, co-founders of the Center For Teen Flourishing, see “What are students doing between 6 p
Across the country, tens of thousands of high-achieving children are sitting at their desks, waiting for the challenge they deserve. But for many—and above all for those from low-income families—that wait won’t end.
There is a widely-held belief that the foremost mission of American public education is to provide a pathway to success for every student, including those who face considerable life obstacles. However, persistent achievement gaps along dimensions of race, income, family education level, and other factors challenge the truth—or at least the practicality—of this conviction.
As states continue to confront abysmal post-pandemic attendance patterns, understanding why students miss school has become increasingly impo
